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The Story
Intrusion During a warm night in an undisclosed tavern, within a quiet town, a lone human enters the tavern. In his pouch, a few copper coins jingle. The man sees a few other patrons quickly spy on him, observing him. The man's three-foot tall frame is unable to see over the counter, provoking him to launch himself onto a barstool. The man's green beard glistens in the candlelight, catching the attention of a thief dwelling in the corner. The thief dons his black cloak, and saunters over to the well pronounced dwarf-hobbit-fledgling-man. Resting his arm on the counter beside the green-bearded man, the thief introduces himself. Catiously, the green-bearded man reveals himself to be "Martyn", and shakes hands with Vaarkus. Both Martyn and Vaarkus share each other's company, accompanied with a few rounds of ale. On the end of the counter, a lone man silently observes the two as they exchange riddles. The man wears robes of silk, plain leather boots, and a set of white leather gloves. The man takes a sip of water, and opens a book. On the inside cover, a name is hand-written "Delvin Alehn". An hour passes, all the while Martyn and Vaarkus keep exchanging stories and boastful laughter. Delvin re-enters the bar in the tavern after putting the book back in his room that he purchased for the night. As he walks across the almost empty bar, he notices something he had missed before. Delvin notices a tall figure leaning against the wall, making a note of it. "One can never be too careful in a new environment" thinks Delvin Vaarkus bodes farewell to Martyn, but as he does, Delvin notices Vaarkus slipping the coin purse from Martyn's tunic. Before Delvin is able to yell out, Vaarkus is grasped on the shoulder. As the hand tightens on his shoulder, Vaarkus draws his dagger. Delvin prepares to cast a spell in case the situation escalates, as Martyn prepares to defend the man who was formerly in his company. As Vaarkus wields his dagger, another hand slams his hand against the counter. A voice then pierces the tense air. "You do know that this man was robbing you, do you not?" Martyn turns to the hooded man who is restraining Vaarkus, who then produces the coin pouch that Vaarkus attempted to steal. Delvin, who witnessed the encounter, recognizes the man as the tall figure who was leaning against the wall. Walking over, Delvin feels oddly detested by the whole situation. Martyn thanks the stranger, and bitterly focuses his attention to Vaarkus. Martyn, with all of his strength, strikes the thief on top of the head. "Whoa, whoa" says Delvin, as he grabs Martyn. The stranger restraining Vaarkus can't help but laugh, casuing Delvin to laugh as well. "Nothing like seeing a dwarf strike a thief" chortles Delvin as he looks at the tall man. "I'm not a dwarf!" yells Martyn. Suddenly, a loud, booming voice erupts from the other side of the counter, and all the men look. The bartender looks very pleased, and reveals to the patrons that he knows of a man searching for people who possess the skills that these men might have. "He says there's quite a bit of gold involved." says the bartender. Vaarkus replies "And where may we find this man?" "I do not know, but he comes into my tavern each morning. When he comes, I'll let him know of your interest." With this, Martyn takes his leave, walking up the stairs to his room. Delvin focuses his attention to the thief, "Why were you trying to rob that man?" The man shakes his head, and says "I'm a thief, it's what I do to make money." The hooded man releases the thief, who promptly leaves the tavern. Delvin turns to the hooded man, asking him how he reacted so quickly to the thief. "It was easy to determine that he was a thief, his demeanor, his approach, I was watching him since I entered the tavern." In synchronization, both men chime "Always be aware of your surroundings." "My name's Delvin." as he sticks his hand out. After a moment of hesitation, the man shakes his hand, saying "Entreri." "That's a different name, I can't say I've heard it before." says Delvin. "Yes, well it is different I suppose." After a short conversation, Delvin heads to his room, anxious about what the next day may reveal. A Unique Fellowship The morning arrives, and Delvin wakes to the sunlight peering through the shuttered window in his room. After dressing and washing his face, Delvin leaves his room, bringing his satchel and belongings with him. As he enters the main floor of the tavern, the bartender is conversing with a man. He is wearing a blue tunic lined with gold, and upon his fingers three rings. All of the rings are gold, one has a ruby, another a sapphire, but the largest is a clear diamond. Sitting at a nearby table, Delvin can make out Entreri. As Delvin approaches, the bartender exclaims "Here's another one of the men I told you about". The man in the blue tunic turns and Delvin sees that the man is no man at all, but rather a cat, and says his name is Casia "So I hear you may be one of the people I'm looking for." says tCasia, as he holds his arm up towards Delvin. Grasping his hand, Delvin replies "I may be, yes." The man smiles, and begins to inquire about Delvin, who reveals that he is a wizard. The man says he wants to recruit Delvin, and peaks Delvin's interest by stating that magical treasures may be found. Delvin accepts the quest, and joins his new partner at the table. Entreri nods at Delvin, but says nothing. Within a short time, Martyn walks down the stairs and is introduced to the man in the blue tunic, and enticed to join the party. Meanwhile Vaarkus, who lived in a home nearby, is debating if he should return to the tavern. The bartender did mention that a sum of gold was involved, and with that kind of money, Vaarkus could stop cutting purses and raise a family. It seemed too good to be true. Of course, wealth and curiosity prevail, and Vaarkus decides to head to the tavern. As Vaarkus enters the tavern, he recognizes all of the men from last night, but also sees a man in a blue tunic, who approaches him. "Ah, you must be Vaarkus. Come, sit, I want to hire you and these men to be treasure hunters for me." Vaarkus sits next to the men that he encountered last night, and awaits for Casia to give them the details of their quest. "There is a sword that has been in my family line for generations, but you see, it is lost. I recently found that it is hidden in a dungeon, presumably guarded and full of traps. I need all of you, with your skills, to enter that dungeon, defeat whatever opposes you, and retrieve my sword. I will reward all of you in gold." The group looks at each other, complete strangers until the night before, and are now asked to form a party. Delvin asks "And what makes us so special? Why have you chosen us of all people?" "Each of you possess an aspect that is required to enter the dungeon, you with your magical capabilities. And you Vaarkus, you can be quite sneaky, as you demonstrated by attempting to rob Martyn." says Casia as he turns to Martyn. "Martyn, you might be able to explore parts of that dungeon where none of these men may go, you may avoid traps or slip by unnoticed as well. And you..." says Casia as he lays his eyes on Entreri's hooded face. "...A warrior who can ensure the return of the rest of your party, even if you use magic. Not to mention that both you and Delvin will be able to utilize your vast reserves of knowledge." Delvin, intrigued and slightly frightened, looks towards Entreri. Delvin thinks "Now it makes sense." as he realizes that Entreri is an Elf. The unusual name, his height, how quickly he reacted to the thief, and also his ability to use magic. Magic being the reason why Delvin felt a bit scared after hearing Casia talk. After recieving a drawn map of where to go, and a few more vague instructions, the party sets out to find the dungeon. Leaving the town, a dense forest and trail are the only path to take, and as the map shows, the party follows it. Before sunset, as the woods begin to get darker, the party decides to set up camp. Opting to not light a fire, they designate watches, and rest for the night. During Vaarkus' watch he hears something rustle in the nearby bushes, which is followed by snorting. Out of nowhere, Vaarkus' tourettes is sparked, causing him to yell loudly and throw the dagger from his hands. The rest of the party wakes up, and Delvin casts an orb of light. Everyone is now able to see a large sillhouette in the bushes, but it is unmoving. Entreri casts a flare of fire to further brighten the area, and the group is able to distinguish a large wolf, laying near the bush. With two arrows in its side, and Vaarkus' dagger in its throat. Martyn immediately rushes over, trying to comfort the wolf. "We have to help him." says Martyn, as he pulls the dagger from the wolf's throat. Delvin heals the wound afterwards, and the process is repeated for the arrows in the wolf's side. After being healed, the wolf jumps up, and runs off into the forest. Surprised, but relieved, the party continues along the path since dawn isn't too far away. As they reach the end of the trail, there's a clearing, where a cliff face spreads for quite a distance, and a large archway lies ahead of them. In front of the archway stands a brass golem, resting its hands on a large battleaxe. The elf approaches the golem, who then moves his hand, and holds it out to the elf, revealing three slots in the hand. In a loud booming voice, the golem asks for three iron penance. Impatiently, Martyn attempts to run through the brass golem's legs. Just as he makes it to the golem, the golem moves its axe to the side, cutting off Martyn's left boot. As the rest of the party attempts to solve the golem's riddle, Martyn begins to irritate it by climbing, and hitting it. Martyn is kicked from behind the golem back to the clearing. Much time is spent, but no one in the party can decipher the golem's riddle. Eventually, by fluke, the riddle is solved. Blood, containing iron, is the penance that the golem requires. Finding a nearby river, Vaarkus catches a fish and brings it back to the golem. The fish is then cut open, and its blood is poured into the slots in the golem's hand. The golem withdraws its hand, and steps aside, revealing the archway to the party. Solving Puzzles As the party advances through the hallway, lighted by Delvin's orb of light, a room begins to appear. Martyn runs his hand along the wall, only to have it licked by a tongue. In the next room, there are only three walls, with a large chasm opposite of the party. Sitting in the corner is a chest which is bolted to the ground and closed with chains. From the chasm, a giant tongue raises, and lays across the floor, providing a bridge to the other side of the chasm. As the party examines the tongue, Entreri approaches the chest, sensing that the chains have magical properties. Noticing a series of runes on the chest, Entreri reads them: "There is only one thing that can open this chest, but it lies near to you." Entreri calls out, asking for someone to cut a piece of the tongue and bring it to him. Vaarkus cuts off a piece, and when he picks it up, it burns his hand. He throws it to Entreri, who catches it and holds it to the chest. The chains retract quickly, and the chest opens, allowing gold to pour out. As everyone watches, the gold keeps pouring out, multiplying. The gold is rapidly expanding in the room, and everyone begins pushing gold into the chasm. Delvin attempts to de-enchant the gold, and after a few attempts succeeds. With the chasm facing them again, the party begins to think of how to get across. Before they reach any conclusion, a different tongue emerges from the chasm, providing another bridge. The group follows one another across the chasm, only to find themselves between two pathways. One to the right, and one to the left. Entreri begins to walk down the path to the right that smells faintly of cinnamon, and is less travelled than the path to the left. They follow a hallway into a room made entirely of wood, much different than the stone that lined the previous parts of the dungeon. The room appears to be a study, with bookcases lining much of the walls, and a single desk littered with paper, held down by the skeletal remains of a person. Investigating the skeleton and desk, Entreri finds that the papers are all written in an ancient language, but he finds a translation key in the satchel that previously belonged to the skeleton. "Guys, look at this." says Martyn as he plants a fairly thick book on the desk. Entreri translates the title, finding out that the title says "The Necromicon". Intrigued, Entreri opens the book, which then begins to flip pages on its own. The room begins to get darker as the book continues to open, immune to their attempts at closing it. As the final pages flip open, a black, inky shadow envelops the skeleton, rebuilding its organs, muscles, and skin. After regenerating, the shadow screeches, and flies out of the room. With nothing else worth investigating in the room, the party backtracks, and follows the other path. At the end of the path, the party reaches a room where four skeleton guards patrol. Two small skeletal dogs notice them, and alert the larger skeleton, and the average human skeleton. As they begin to walk towards the group, Entreri shoots down the bone chandelier which lands on top of the larger skeleton. As this happens, Martyn attacks one of the skeletal dogs, crushes its head. Delvin launches an air assault on the skeletal person, crushing it with wind, but with a flaw in his technique he causes the wind to rebound towards him. The wind rush slams Delvin against the ground, and Vaarkus jumps into the middle of the room after his claustrophobia cloak is blown over him. After Entreri destroys the remaining skeletal dog, the large skeleton forces his way out of the chandelier, throwing Vaarkus onto the ground. Delvin, utilizing wind again, causing an explosion from within the chest cavity of the skeleton. The explosion obliterates the skeleton, but also destroys some of the stone inside the room. Proceeding into the next room the party encounters another brass golem. Entreri approaches it, but the golem slashes at him with its greatsword. Drawing his sword, and blocking the blow, Entreri is thrown across the room. Delvin launches a magic missile at the back of the golem's left knee after noticing a break in the armour. The explosion damages the golem, rendering its leg useless, as oil begins to spill out. Entreri, back on his feet, launches a fireball at the same spot, igniting an intense fire that envelops the golem's leg. The golem attempts to flip over onto Delvin, and in doing so allwos Vaarkus and Martyn to run over towards the staircase that the golem was protecting. Delvin puts up a forcefield, but it fails against the weight of the golem, pushes Delvin against the ground. "Go to the stairs." yells Entreri. Delvin gets on his feet and runs to the stairs. Entreri casts a spell that explodes powerfully over the golem, bringing both the golem and the room into an intense inferno. Everyone proceeds up the stairs, eagerly awaiting for whatever may be in the next room. As they reach the top of the stairs, they walk into a large room with marble stairs that leads to a single pedestal standing in the center of the room, on top of it lies a chest. Martyn runs to the chest, and opens it. Peering inside, the party sees that there is a short, ornate sword, a gold amulet, a plain gold ring, and a sponge. Martyn grabs the sword, and as soon as he pulls it from the chest, it speaks. "What do you think you are doing?" says the sword in a sly voice. "I'm picking you up." says Martyn. As the two bitterly argue with one another, Vaarkus claims the ring, and puts it on. As the ring falls down his finger, it disappears. Vaarkus feels a tingling sensation in his missing finger, and then removes the ring, bringing his finger back on his hand. Curious as to what the amulet might do, Entreri grabs it, and puts it on. Disappointed at the lack of development, Entreri takes off the amulet and puts it in his pocket. Lastly, Delvin takes the sponge. It is a simple, moist sponge. Delvin squeezes the sponge, releasing all of the water it was holding. Deciding that everything is complete, the party decides to leave the dungeon. As the party readies to leave, they notice a large door covering the staircase entrance. Martyn runs to it, and attempts to grasp the doorknob, but falls through the door. Surprised, the rest of the party cautiously approaches the door, and falls through. Retracing their steps, the party draws closer to the large room with the chasm. As they near the end of the hallway, they notice gold lining the floor, and continuing to multiply. "It's the gold we threw down the chasm!" exclaims Vaarkus. The group simply walks over the gold, protected from burns by their boots. Martyn, bootless, is given a ride from Vaarkus as the party exits the dungeon. With the sun on the verge of setting, the party opts to set up camp for the night, sleeping near the archway. During Delvin's watch, he is alerted to twigs snapping in the forest near the clearing. Quietly waking up the rest of the party, Delvin alerts them that something is nearby. Just as soon as they're awake, Entreri watches as his friends all fall unconscious. Suddenly feeling very drowzy, Entreri quickly tries to look for the source of the attack, but falls unconscious. A Turn of Events Waking early the next morning, the group finds themselves tied to a tree with magical bonds. Shortly after, a series of gnomes step out of the bushes. "Hi friends" says one of the gnomes cheerily, "We need your help. There is an evil force attacking our sacred tree, and we are unable to do anything about it. So, we had to capture you guys and make you help us." "Before we help you, I need some new boots." Martyn says as he wiggles his bare feet. A single gnome scampers off into the bushes. A larger gnome steps forward, he has a large beard that trails behind him. Raising his arms, the gnome closes his eyes, as he does so the bonds trapping the party are released. A single gnome says that he will lead them to the tree. "What about my boots?" asks Martyn, a gnome runs out of the bushes carrying two crudely stitched leather boots. Handing him to Martyn, the gnome guide begins to sprint into the forest. Walking behind the guide, the party is shocked when the gnome suddenly drops dead. A couple squirrels come and bring the gnome's dead body back to the gnome camp, and a new gnome runs out, telling them to follow him. The party approaches a massive tree, standing two hundred feet tall, with a diameter of fifty feet, the party is in awe of the tree. Then they spot a bulge on the trunk, approximately halfway up the tree. It appears to be absorbing light, similar to a black hole, with arteries spreading around part of the tree. The gnome wizard approaches the party, and says that the only way to disperse this evil is with a sword of pure light, owned by a man named Sunshand in the nearby town. The party assures the gnome wizard that they will return, and leaves for the town. As they approach the gates, the watchman orders the party to stop, and asks for their business. Impatient as he is, Martyn sends his dragon to attack the watchman. The watchman calls for guards as he grabs the dragon by the neck. A door opens near the gate, and a squad of guards steps out with their weapons drawn. They encircle the party, and their captain steps forward.